Measurement of ¹⁶O(e,e'α)¹²C: a new way to determine the ¹²C(α,γ)¹⁶O reaction rate at stellar energies

The large uncertainty in the rate of the ¹²C(α,γ)¹⁶O reaction is the largest source of uncertainty in any stellar evolution model. With development of new high current energy-recovery linear accelerators (ERLs) and high density gas targets, measurement of the ¹⁶O(e,e'α)¹²C reaction close to threshold opens up a new approach to determine the ¹²C(α,γ)¹⁶O reaction rate with increased precision. The presentation will summarize a detailed study of this new approach and outline a conceptual experiment. Using direct reaction data and some realistic assumptions, the estimated statistical uncertainties in the low energy region will be shown, as well as the systematic uncertainty arising from the isotopic and chemical contamination in the oxygen gas.